Year 6 (PGY6)

During the final year of the program, residents rotate through three four-month Chief Resident services: Spine, Tumor and Vascular. The Chief Residents have full responsibility for the neurosurgical service under the direct supervision of the attending staff. The division of the NS-5 year into three distinct rotations is intended to provide advanced, concentrated training in each of these areas. Skills honed include the use and integration of diagnostic techniques such as CT, MRI, EEG, EMG, angiography. The M/L Chief Residents plan and carry out all surgical procedures in cranial, spinal, and peripheral neurosurgery, including microdissection techniques and the use of surgical navigation systems, endoscopic techniques, intraoperative MRI, electrocorticography. They also further develop skills using cortical motor and speech mapping, sensory- and motor-evoked potentials, and spinal instrumentation. The Chief Residents are also responsible for teaching junior residents on the service, and assisting the Department Chair and Program Director in many administrative tasks, including scheduling of conferences and Grand Rounds.